Mail chute



M. KATZ MAIL CHUTE April 3, 1934.

Filed Oct 5. 1931 INVENTOR MGY m KGtZ B W HIS A RNEY 29 llllllllllllllllllllllllllli ||||||lIlllllllllllllllllllllll Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in mail chutes, and is particularly directed to the crown molding, or equivalent part for concealing the joint of chute sections, particularly at the portion of the chute between two floors, which is the final portion installed.

More particularly, my invention pertains to locating and clamping means, which may be in the form of a bar member arranged to engage and span a pair of channels or equivalent rigid element secured to the building or other structure in which the mail chute is installed, such bar member being provided with threaded elements adapted to receive screws or equivalent, passed through the front or other readily accessible face of the crown molding, whereby upon tightening such clamping means the crown molding is properly located with respect to the ceiling line and the immediate chute portion and therewith the remaining chute portions of each floor section thereof, in rigid relation with respect to the building or other structure.

Further features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a front elevation of a mail chute unit embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional elevation on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, a centrally disposed portion being broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional elevation on line 33 of Fig. 2.

35 Referring to the drawing, the mail chute length is illustrated of a floor height section extending from the finished floor line 11 to the finished ceiling line 12.

The chute proper is illustrated as conforming 40 generally to present practice, and comprises an open U-shaped lower chute member 13 which may extend from a location 14 considerably above the floor line 11 to a location 15 proximate to but above the drop box 16; the drop box 16 is pror vided with the usual slot 17 for receiving the mail matter. The open end of the lower chute member 13 is located at the front and is closed by a strip of glass 18, or equivalent, for affording visual observation of the mail matter deposited and dropped through the chute. The

chute proper further comprises an intermediate chute member 19 which is supported by the edge flanges of the drop box member 16, the securement of the lower end 19a of the intermediate member 19 to the lower chute member 13 being had by any suitable means, usually to steel channel members, rigid with the building or other structure, as appears more fully hereinafter.

The drop box 16 usually includes a front member which is hinged at one side to its open frame 20, and locked by a key-operated lock. 7

A glass strip 23 closes the front end of the intermediate chute member 19. Preferably, the glass strips 18, 23, and the front of the drop box 16 are mounted in an open brass panel member 24, and the strips 18, 23 are removable upon opening the hinged front of the drop box.

Pursuant to a particular feature of my invention, the installation at each floor for the section of the mail chute thereat, is assembled and secured in position by positioning the portions of each floor section progressively from the bottom upwardly, the final portion comprising the fascia chute member 25 and the crown molding, described more fully hereinafter, the crown molding and the fascia member and attached parts being assembled at the location of manufacture as a unit.

Usually, the fascia member 25 includes an inner, downwardly, inwardly tapering chute member 26, which chute members 25, 26 are supported at the bottom by the collar member 27, supported on the top of the panel member 24.

Pursuant to regulation practice, a thimble 28 is installed at and extends through each floor level. The base 29, having any desired exterior design, is then placed in position about the upper edge of the thimble 28, and suitably secured, as by means of cement, indicated at 30.

Upon installing the base 29, and thereupon the above referred to chute! members 13, 19, together with the panel 24, including the glass strips 18, 23, the drop box 16, and the collar member 2'7, the combined unit including the fascia member 25 and the crown molding 33, the fascia member 25 and therewith the interior chute member 26, is slid upwardly relative to the crown molding 33, to enable the bottom end of the fascia member 25 to clear the upper edge of the collar member 27. Such unit is approximately positioned by positioning its anchor member, illustrated in the form of a duplex clamp 34, in spanning relation with the oppositely positioned channels 35. The channels 35, pursuant to regulation practice are rigidly secured to the structural elements of the building.

The crown molding 33 may have any desired finish and/ or decoration, and is of open U-shape.

The duplex clamp member 34 comprises a "11;

front fiat strip 34a, riveted or otherwise rigidly secured in face to face engagement at its central portion to a rear flat strip 36, the opposite ends of the front strip 34a being positioned forwardly of the vertically extending flanges of the channels 35, 35 and the ends 36a, 36a of the rear strip 36 positioned rearwardly of the channels 35, 35.

Such anchor member serves, prior to final clamping status, to tentatively aid in locating the crown molding 33 and therewith the fascia member 25 in proximate position relative to the lowerly disposed chute elements, and upon properly positioning the crown molding 33 with respect to the ceiling line 12, the anchor member is set to its final clamping status, by means of an appropriate tool applied exteriorly of the crown molding.

As an expedient form of clamping device for the anchor member, I illustrate oppositely disposed threaded thimbles or elongated nuts 37, secured respectively to the opposite ends of the bar 34a, and screws 38, or equivalent, passing through openings 39 in the front face or other readily accessible portion of the crown molding 33, the openings 39 serving to retain the heads 38a of the screws 38, and preferably flush with the face of the crown molding upon final clamping status.

From the above, it will be perceived that my invention enables the sections of the mail chute to be readily and rigidly installed from floor to fioor, and in rigid relation to and supported by the channel members 35, or equivalent means.

It will be understood that the lowerly and intermediate portions 32 of the chute for each floor section are assembled relative to and supported by the channel members 35, or equivalent, in the usual manner, as by means of the setting screws 21, and nuts 22, for which anchor members similar to my hereinabove described bars 34a, 36, may be substituted.

Preferably,the crown molding 33 is constructed with re-entrant angled flanges 40, 40, at a spacing from one another slightly larger than the diameter of each screw 38, to serve as a guide for each screw when it is passed through its opening 39 in the crown molding 33, in the assembly of these parts.

Whereas, I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a multi-part chute, the combination with an upwardly disposed, downwardly extending intermediate chute member, a lowerly disposed chute member arranged to form a continuation of said upwardly disposed chute member, and a crown molding member including means for clamping said chute members in stationary relation with one another, said clamping means comprising an anchor member arranged to span and engage an adjoining rigid structure, hollow threaded means carried by said anchor member and screw means for meshing with said hollow threaded means, said crown molding being provided with an opening accessible from its exterior for receiving said screw means and retaining the head of said screw means upon clamping of said crown molding with said rigid structure.

2. In a multi-part chute, the combination with an upwardly disposed, downwardly extending intermediate chute member, a lowerly disposed chute member arranged to form a continuation of said upwardly disposed chute member, and a crown molding member including means for clamping said chute members in stationary relation with one another, said clamping means comprising an anchor member, arranged to span and engage an adjoining rigid structure, hollow threaded means carried by said anchor member and screw means for meshing with said hollow threaded means, said lowerly disposed chute member being movable relative to said crown molding member, said crown molding being provided with an opening accessible from its exterior for receiving said screw means and retaining the head of said screw means upon clamping of said crown molding with said rigid structure.

3. In a multi-part chute, the combination with means rigid with a building structure, of an upwardly disposed, downwardly extending intermediate chute member, a lowerly disposed chute member arranged to form a continuation of said upwardly disposed chute member, a crown molding member, and means for clamping said crown molding member relative to said rigid means and relative to the chute members, said clamping means comprising an anchor member arranged to engage said rigid means, and positioning means accessible in adjustment from the exterior of said crown molding member.

4. In a multi-part chute, the combination with means rigid with a building structure, of an upwardly disposed, downwardly extending intermediate chute member, a lowerly disposed chute member arranged to form a continuation of said upwardly disposed chute member, a crown molding member, and means for clamping said crown molding member relative to said rigid means and relative to the chute members, said clamping means comprising an anchor member arranged to engage said rigid means, and oppositely disposed setting means accessible from the exterior of said crown molding, said oppositely disposed setting means including individual adjustable setting elements carried by said anchor member.

5. In a multi-part chute, the combination with a pair of rigid supports, of an upwardly disposed, downwardly extending intermediate chute member, a lowerly disposed chute member, a crown molding, and means for clamping said crown molding and said chute members relative to said pair of rigid supports, said clamping means comprising an anchor bar arranged to span and engage said rigid supports respectively, oppositely disposed hollow threaded elements carried by said anchor bar, said crown molding being provided with oppositely disposed openings accessible from the exterior of said crown molding, and threaded setting elements passing through said openings and engaging said hollow threaded elements.

MARTIN KATZ. 

